Mauga, who starred at Arizona as a player, will serve as the Bulldogs’ volunteer assistant coach, while Oklahoma alum Pendley will be a graduate assistant.
Johnson, who fills out Ricketts’ full-time staff, spent the past five seasons on staff at Ball State, including the 2019 season with the title of Associate Head Coach. He helped lead the Cardinals to more than 150 victories during that time, while developing a pitching staff that recorded a sub-3.00 ERA and 300-plus strikeouts in each of the last three seasons. He helped guide the program to the Mid-American Conference’s Western Division title in 2018.
Prior to his tenure at BSU, Johnson spent time on the coaching staffs at UTEP and Louisiana-Lafayette. His resume also includes three seasons as head coach at Faulkner State Community College; he is a member of the North American Fastpitch Association Hall of Fame from his own playing career.
Mauga holds the Arizona and PAC-12 career records for home runs after hitting ninety-two during her career as a Wildcat. A two-time All-American, she is the only player in NCAA history to hit at least twenty home runs in each of her four collegiate seasons. The 2017 PAC-12 Co-Player of the Year, Mauga was a four-time PAC-12 selection and a three-time all-Region honoree.
A 2019 graduate of Oklahoma, Pendley was part of two national championships during her tenure with the Sooners. She earned a trio of all-Big 12 honors during her career, and also was a three-time all-region selection. She ranks in the career top ten in Oklahoma program history in eight different statistical categories.
Mississippi State will enter 2020 in their first season under Ricketts’ leadership. The Bulldogs finished the 2019 campaign with a 35-23 overall record, including a 9-15 conference showing. The squad posted a team batting average of .296, with a 3.36 cumulative team ERA.
